Pressure groups call for corporate killing laws

The
Government is set to receive thousands of postcards as part of a protest
calling on Labour to introduce controversial corporate killing laws.

Prime
Minister Tony Blair and health and safety minister Nick Brown could be
inundated with up to 40,000 of the postcards send by pressure groups and trade
unions.

The
cards, which are being distributed by the Centre for Corporate Accountability
and Hazards, call on the Government to introduce laws that make directors
responsible for the safety of a company.

Each
card has a printed message, with the ones being sent to Tony Blair reading:
"Every year, dozens of companies get away with manslaughter at work. Five
years ago, your government promised a corporate killing law. When will you
bring justice to the corporate criminals?"

A
recent report by the HSE said that a new offence of corporate killing would act
as a powerful deterrence to prevent needless injuries and deaths.

More
than 2,000 workers and members of the public have died in work-related
incidents, including the Southall, Hatfield and Potter’s Bar tragedies.